New Delhi: An Army officer was killed in action Wednesday after an encounter - sources say with a group of four terrorists - in the Assar area of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. A civilian was also injured.
An operation has been launched to capture the terrorists, one of whom was wounded.
The encounter was in a forested area during a cordon-and-search operation, or CASO, launched by a joint security team to track down the terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt, sources said.
The security forces managed to recover a United States-made M4 assault rifle and three blood-soaked rucksacks, containing equipment and logistics, from the encounter site, sources added.
Sources said the Army had been tipped off to the terrorists' hideout last evening, after which they engaged the enemy. There was a brief exchange of fire that night and the op resumed this morning.
This latest terror attack in the Jammu region comes a day before Independence Day celebrations and as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chairs a meeting - attended by senior figures, including Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval - to review the security situation.
There has been a spurt in terror activities in the Jammu region - particularly in the southern reaches of the Pir Panjal range, which contains many thick forests and steep mountains that provide cover for terrorists - in recent months, raising fears about the revival of militancy in the region.
READ | South Of Pir Panjal, Terror's New Address In Jammu And Kashmir
The spectre of terrorism had long lain dormant in this area.
Earlier this month the government said it is rolling out a new security matrix for Jammu and Kashmir to counter increased targeting of civilians and military personnel and camps by terrorists, including an encounter in Anantnag district on Sunday in which two soldiers died for their country.
READ | In New J&K Security Matrix, More Surprise Attacks On Terrorists
Two civilians were also hurt in that gun battle, in which an Army patrol on a routine anti-terror operation in the forests of Kokernag was targeted. In the same area in September last year a Commanding Officer, a Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were killed by terrorists.
Last month one soldier was killed in action and another injured in an encounter in Kupwara district, in which the Army said a "Pakistani intruder" was eliminated. That attack came a day after Kargil Vijay Diwas, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Army would defeat every terror challenge.
Last month PM Modi chaired a meeting of his own to assess the J&K security situation. Sources told NDTV then that PM had directed full deployment of armed forces' counter-terror capabilities.
A senior official told NDTV the increased number of military casualties is the forces' "primary concern" and this is why deployment in the area is being rationalised with specific goals in mind, including stopping cross-border infiltration, focus on human intelligence and tactical efficiency.
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